Computer and communication technologies continue to advance at a rapid pace. Indeed, computer and communication technologies are involved in many aspects of a person's day. For example, many devices being used today by consumers have a small computer incorporated within the device. These small computers come in varying sizes and degrees of sophistication. These small computers may vary in sophistication from one microcontroller to a fully-functional complete computer system. For example, small computers may be a one-chip computer, such as a microcontroller, a one-board type of computer, such as a controller, a typical desktop computer, such as an IBM-PC compatible, etc.
Computers typically have one or more processors. The processor(s) usually are interconnected to different external inputs and outputs and function to manage the particular computer or device. For example, a processor in a thermostat may be connected to buttons used to select the temperature setting, to the furnace or air conditioner to change the temperature, and to temperature sensors to read and display the current temperature on a display.
Many appliances, devices, etc., include one or more small computers. For example, thermostats, furnaces, air conditioning systems, refrigerators, telephones, typewriters, automobiles, vending machines, and many different types of industrial equipment now typically have small computers, or processors, inside of them. Computer software runs the processors of these computers and tells the processors what to do to carry out certain tasks. For example, the computer software running on a thermostat may cause an air conditioner to stop running when a particular temperature is reached or may cause a heater to turn on when needed.
These types of small computers that are a part of a device, appliance, tool, etc., are often referred to as embedded systems. The term “embedded system” usually refers to computer hardware and software that is part of a larger system. Embedded systems may not have typical input and output devices such as a keyboard, mouse, and/or monitor. Usually, at the heart of each embedded system is one or more processor(s).
With the increased use of electronic devices and embedded systems, and with the increased demands for the exchange of information, more devices are now able to detect surrounding devices and establish electronic communications with these devices. The Bluetooth specification defines one standard whereby devices can communicate with each other through short-range radio signals. Many kinds of devices may benefit from being able to connect to other devices without needing user intervention. For example, printers, personal digital assistants, digital cameras, telephones, laptop computers, video monitors, electronic calendars, desktops, fax machines, keyboards, joysticks, etc., may all become part of a short-range radio system to connect to other devices. By enabling this type of communication, a bridge is provided to existing data networks to form small private ad hoc groupings of connected devices away from fixed network infrastructures. Thus, device networks may be formed on-the-fly as devices discover each other. However, as more devices attempt to communicate with one another, inefficiencies may arise that may slow down or otherwise hinder the overall communication of one or more electronic devices. Thus, benefits may be realized if communications by electronic devices were enhanced with additional systems and methods for providing more effective communication techniques.